Gas furnace



W. C. PETERSON.

GAS FURNACE. PLlcATloN FILED 1AN.4

y Patentea 'May 23,1922.

WALTER C. PETERSON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSGNO'R- TO PACKARD MOTOR CAR COMPANY, 0F DETRO'l, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MCEIGAN.

GAS FURNACE.

Application Vfiled January Il, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, ll'vnmnn C. Pn'rnnson, a citizen of the United States7 and residing at Detroit, county of Vifayne, State of Michigan, have invented certain neu' and useful Improvements in Gas Furnaces, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to furnaces and more particularly to furnaces of the type employed for heating steel objects'such as gears, sprockets7 and the vlike for the heat treatment thereof.

In the heat treatment of steel objects it is necessary that the objects be heated uniformly so that they 'maintain Substantially the same temperature throughout their mass. Because of this requirement furnaces for heating steel for the purpose set forth have been electrically hea-ted as no gas furnaces have been provided which give a suli'iciently uniform heat. It is the principal object of the present invention to pioi/'ide a gas furnace which will give uniform heating so that it may be used instead of electric furnaces. Other objects and features of novelty will be apparent from the dei scription taken in connection with the drawings in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation through a furnace constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line 2*? of Figure 1; and Y Figure 3 is a diagrammatic 'view illustrating how the gas flames uniformly cover the surface to be heated.

'Referring to the drawings the numeral 1() indicates a receptacle or container `for the steel objects to be heated. As shown, this container is in the form of a pot having `its upper end open and adapted to be closed by a cover 11. The upper edge of the pot has a radially projecting flange 12 for `a purpose presently to be described. Preferably, the container is constructed of a heat resistinematerial such as nichrome.

`It is one of the principal objects of the present invention to distribute and burn the combustible mixture uniformly over the surface of the pot to be heated. To this end a reservoir for the mixture is provided and a plurality of pipes conduct the mixture in a direct manner so that it may be discharged and burned against the `surfaceof the con- Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented May 223%a 1922.

Serial No. 289,668.

tainer. As shown, the reservoir is in the hollow base 13 on which is supported the pot 10. This base is formed with a central web 1a which has an opening 15 eX- tcnding therethrough and registering with an opening 16 in the bottom 1T of the pot. i pyrometer or other temperature recording means may be inserted through the opening into the pot and being centrally positioned will give an accurate indication of the temperature therein. A series of spaced pipes 1S are arranged parallel to each other and to the side w ll of the pot and these pipes have communication at one end with thc hollow base 13 through the openings 19 formed in the peripheral wall of the base. Each of the pipes 18 is provided with a plurality of perforations 2O uniformly spaced along` the length of the pipe. These openings in ei'ect constitute burners for the mixture and the pipes are `positioned or spaced from the surface of the pot such a distance that the mixture issuing from these openings 20 will be burned against the said surface. From an inspection of Figure 2 it will be seen that the pipes are uniformly spaced around the outside of the pot, the distance a between adjacent pipes circumferentially of the pot being substantially the same as the distance b between adjacent openings or burners in each pipe. Moreover, from an inspection of Figure 1 it will be seen that thefopeningsQO in one pipe arek staggered with respect to the openings in the adjacent pipes. It follows from this arrangement of the burners that the flames due to the combustion of mixture will uniformlj.Y cover the entire surface to be heated,y as shown in Figure 3. rthe mixture may be supplied to the base through a pipe 21, air under pressure entering through the valve controlled pipe 22 and gas under pressure through the valve controlled pipe Q8.

As shown, the pipes 18 may be substan tially halfsembedded in a heat insulating material 24 which surrounds the container and this material be protected by a metal shell 25. The flange 12 previously mentioned is preferably constructed so as to close the upper end of the space between the outer surface of the pot and the interior of the insulating material 24. This flange may be formed with the openings QG for the escape of the products of combustion.

In the operation of the furnace the steel articles to be treated are preferably mounted on a frame within the furnace. `For eX- ample, if steel gears 27 are to be treated they may be positioned on the parallel rods 28 projecting from a base ring 29. A pyrometer is inserted through the openings l5 and i6 and may be connected with an apparatus for recording the conditions within the furnace. The valves in the air and gas pipes S52 and 23 being opened the desired amount and the mixture issuing from the furnace having been ignited, the entire side walls of the pot will be uniformly heated throughout their surface. This results from the fact that the burners are constructed and arranged to maintain the products of combustion at substantially a uniform temperature throughout vtheir mass, in consequence whereof the surfaces of the container against which they impinge are uniformly heated.

The area of the surface of the container covered by the fiame from each burner may be regulated by the pressure of the combustible fluid, and by the size of the apertures 2O in the pipes. Thus, with a given size of aperture the rate of combustion and consequently the rate of heating of the furnace may be controlled by varying the pressure of the combustible fluid. 1n the form of the invention shown this is accomplished by adjusting the valves in pipes 22 and 23.

Although the furnace has been described in detail it is to be understood the invention is not thus limited but includes modifications and changes which come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is l. A gas furnace of the character described including in combination, a metal pot having a bottom and side walls, and means for directing a plurality of uniformly spaced. jets of combustible fluid against the surface of said side walls for the purpose set forth.

2. A gas furnace of the character described including in combination, a container, and means for directing a plurality of uniformly spaced jets of combustible fluid against said container for the purpose set forth.

3. A gas furnace of the character described including in combination, a container, a reservoir for combustible fluid, a plurality of groups of burners adapted to direc-t uniformly spaced jets of said fluid against said container, and means independently supplying each group from said reservoir.

4l. A gas furnace of the character described including in combination, a container', a hollow base forming a reservoir for combustible fluid and supporting said container', and means supplied from said rescontainer', a plurality of equally I spaced burners adjacent the surface of the container arranged in groups, and means to independently supply each group from said reservoir. Y l

7. A gas furnace comprisingin combination, a pot, a hollow base supporting the same, means to supply said base with. combustible mixture, a seriesV of uniformlyV spaced pipes extending from said base upward adjacent the side surface of the pot,

and each pipe having a series of burners spa-ced substantially the same as pipes. f

8. A gas furnace comprising in combination, a container, a hollow base forming a reservoir for a combustible fluid supporting the container, and a series of pipes extending from said base adjacent the surface of said container, each pipe having a series of uniformly spaced burners.

9. A gas furnace comprising a container of heat resisting metal, heatinsulating matcrial around and spaced from said container and uniformly spaced burners in the space between the container and said material disposed to direct overlapping flames against the surface of the container, whereby the container is uniformly heated `throughout said surface.

l0. A gas furnace comprising a container of heat resisting metal, heat insulating material around and spaced from said container, a reservoir for combustible mixture, uniformly spaced burners in the space betweenY the containerand said material disposed to direct overlapping flames against the surface of the container whereby the container is uniformly heated and means to. supply said burners directly from said reservoir.

11. A gas furnace comprising a container of heat resisting metal, heat insulating material around and spaced from said container, a reservoir for combustible mixture, uniformly spaced burners in the space loetween thecontainer and said material disposed to direct overlapping flames against the surface of the container whereby the container is uniformly heated and means to' supply said burners from said reservoir, the Y burners being 1n groups and each group being independently supplied -from the reservoir.

l2. A furnace of the character described comprising a container and means to burn a combustible fluid against the surface of the container constructed and arranged to main-`I tain the products of combustion substan tially at a uniform temperature throughout their mass.

13. A furnace of the character described comprising a container and means to burn a combustible fluid constructed and arranged to bring the products of combustion in contact With the container and maintain them substantially at a uniform temperature throughout their mass.

14. A gas furnace bf the character described including in combination, a container, a plurality of pipes spaced from the outside of the container and each having a plurality or burners equally spaced longitudinally thereof adapted to direct jets of combustible fluid against said container, and the pipes being' spaced the same distance as the burners.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

WALTER o. rE'rnRsoN. 

